Water-power plant.



' G.' A'. NOBIS. WATER POWER PLANT. urmoulf num JULY 14, nos.

rammed July-5, 1910.

mmnton Patellte July 5, 1910.

' 2 sums-snm 2.

c. A. Noms.

WATER POWER PLANT.

APPLICATION FILED JULY14, 1909.

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CURTIS A. Noms, or Bansin ILLINOIS, AssIGNon or FOUR-FIFTHS'TO OLIVER K.-

GARRETT, JOHN I. PARKER, ,HANNIBAL JONES, .AND CHARLES BARRY, ILLINOIS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CURTIS A. Noms, a citizen of the United States, residing at l Barry, in the county of Pike and State of Illinois, have invented `certain new and useful Improvements in Tater-Power Plants,

of which the following is a specitication, reference being had to the accoinpzmying draw- 'glhis invention relates to improvements in water power plants and more particularly one having one or more water wheels arranged below the low Water mark in a tlowing stream Yor river.

The objects Iof the invention are to provide a water power plant of this character which will be simple and practical; which has improved feathering blade wheels and improved .means 'for directing and controllingpthe flow of water against the wheels.

ii'yith the aboveaiid otherobjects in view, the invention consists of the novel features ol construction and the con'xbinatfion and arrangelnent of parts hereinafter fully dcscribed and claimed, and illustrated in the accom panying d ra wi n gs, in which ,Figure l is a vertical longitudinal section through a construction embodying the invention; Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section; Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken on the plane indicated by the line 3-3 in Fie'. 1; and Fig. fl is a detail vertical section taken on `the plane indicated by the line li--t in Fig. 3.

In the drawings 1 and 2 denote vertical walls arranged in a streamer river and extending .longitudinally or in the direction of the flow of the current so as to provide between theni a passageway 3 in which one 'or more water wheels d maybe arranged.. The wheels 4 are disposed horizontally on vertical shafts 5 journaled in step bearings G at the bottoni of the I'nissagoway fl and also in suitable bearings 7 hereina'l'teil described. Each of the step bearings (5 is preferably provided with a packing hog` 8 to exclude sand and dirt therefrom and it is supplied with oil by means of an oil supply tube 9 arranged alongside of the shaft '5. Each of the wheels lconsists of a sleeve-like hub 10 suitably fixed upon the lower portion of the shaft 5 and provided with integralattach ing lugs l1 4to which are secured the `inner ends of a plurality of radially extending spokes or arms l2. 'lwo annular sets or Specification of Letters Patent.

series of the latter are provided and, while any number of them. may be arranged 1n BEARD, ALL lOF Patented July 5, 1910. Application md July 14, 1909. serial No. 507,602.

each set, I have shown in the drawings but four in each set. The outer portions of /these spokes 12 havepivotally connected to -theni feathering blades or paddles 13, preferably three of the lat-ter being provided on' each spoke. The blades 13 are vertically disposed and extend across the spokes 12 of both the upper and lower `series and they are hinged or pivoted along one vertical edge to said. superposed spokes 12 by providing upon their inner edges pivot lugs 14 which receive vertical pivot rods 14a uniting the superposed spokes, as shown more clearly in F-ig. l. Byarranging these pivot or hinge connections at a suitable distance from the top and bot toni edges of the blades, the latter will be limited in their swinging lnovelnent by ytheir contact with the arnis l2, which latter are preferably bowed or curved longitudinally so that Vwhen the` bladesswing against them the blades will forni a sroopand increase arranged upon the `wallsl and above the y* high watermark, the Hoor 16 of such lions# ing supporting the bearings Z for theshafts 5. When two of the Wheels 4 are arranged in the passageway 8, they are adaptedto rotate in opposite ,directions and are, there fore, connected 'by suitable gearing 17 to a line shaft 18. It Will be noted that by arranging and connecting up 'the wheels/4 in this manner, the flow of the water through the passageway 3 will7 on one side of said passage, pass through the feathered blades of the first wheel and strike the pockets formed by the folded blades of t-h isecond Wheel and, likewise, `therwater on tiq other side-of the passageway in leaving the pockets formed by the folded blades of thelirst wheel will Vhave free passage through the feathered blades of the second wheel.

For the purpose of preventing-drift wood and other trash from entering the assage- Way 3, the Wall 1 is preferably ma e to ex? tend a greater distance up stream than the wall 2 and-"a grating 19 is arranged diagonally across'the front end of the passage` way between said Walls, This grating preferably consists of a vertical series of horizontally disposed slats or bars spaced a suit- 'able distance apart, as shown in Fig. l. ff

desired, one or'both of the walls may be flared outwardly at their front ends, as shown at 20, so as to direct water of the stream or river into the passageway and, if desired, in one or both of said walls may be formed openings 21 adjacent which are inclined wings 22 to direct the water into the passageway and against the wheels.

23` and 24 denc e similar gates arranged at the front and rear ends of the passageway 3 and mounted for vertical sliding movement between guides 25 on said walls. Hollow air tight boxes 2G are bolted or otherwise secured to the outer side faces of the gates23, 24e-to form floats; and in order to guide these boxes or floats they are provided on theiroutcr faces with oppositely projecting guide arms 2G21 which slidably engage grooved guide bars 2T secured on the opposite walls l, 2 in parallel relation with theguides 25, which latter are also in the form of longitudinally grooved bars secured at opposite points on the inner faces of the upright walls. The gates 23, 24 are in the form of rectangular plates the side edges of which engage the grooved guide bars 25. For the purpose of raising the gates 23, 2-fl out of the water, they are provided with vertically extending rack bars 2S which mesh with cog wheels or gears 29 on a transverse shaft 30 mounted in suitable bearings in the housing 15. The shafts 30 are preferably provided with worm gears 31 which mesh with worms 32 on shafts 33 having hand cranks 34. The gears 31 are keyed to the shafts 30 so that they may be shifted into and out o f mesh with the worms 32. The opening or openings 21 in the walls l, 2 are preferably provided 'with gates 35 which are similar in construction and operation to the gates 23, 24E.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed is:

The combination of a pair of vertical walls forming a passageway for a moving body of water, a water wheel arranged in said passageway, a vertically movable gate arranged transversely in said passageway and consisting of a rectangular plate, longitudinally grooved guide bars secured at opposite points to the .inner faces of said walls and adapted to receive the side edges of said plate forming a gate, a. hollow air tight box fastened to one side face of the gate and forming a float for the gate, longitudinally grooved guide bars secured at opposite points to the inner faces of said walls disposed in upright position and in parallel relation with respect to the first mentioned guide bars, oppositely projecting guide arms on the outer side of thev box or float and slidably arranged in the grooves of the seeond mentioned guide bars and means for manually raising and lowering the gate.

ln testimony whereof I hereunto atliX my si gnature in the presence of two witnesses.

CURTS A. NOBS. Witnesses ADAM Knorr,

M. W. McINTlRn 

